According to a forthcoming study by the Competence Center for Skilled Worker Security (Kofa), affiliated with the Institute of the German Economy (IW)-and reported by the “Rheinische Post”-upskilling and further training of support staff could potentially reduce the shortage of skilled professionals in vocational training fields across Germany by almost 17 percent, or one-sixth. Kofa supports small and medium-sized enterprises commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs in finding, retaining, and qualifying skilled workers.
The study projects that in 2025, approximately 1.3 million unemployed support staff members would be unable to find a suitable job in their desired professional field. Concurrently, there is a shortage of more than 225,000 qualified experts in professions that typically require a vocational apprenticeship. By qualifying unemployed and currently employed assistants, up to 38,204 positions could be filled by trained specialists, representing a 16.9 percent increase in available talent. The potential for growth is particularly significant within the healthcare and nursing sectors.
The Institute’s findings rely on data from the Federal Employment Agency (BA) and the associated Institute for Employment and Vocational Research (IAB). Kofa emphasizes that the overall labor market is not fundamentally lacking in workers; rather, the primary challenge lies in insufficient qualification. While many unemployed assistants cannot find jobs in their desired roles, significant bottlenecks exist in the supply of qualified professionals. Therefore, a major opportunity for securing skilled labor lies in the qualification of those who lack a formal professional certificate or vocational training.
Kofa calculated that in the field of elderly care in 2025, there was a shortage of 15,233 positions against which 25,113 unemployed assistants stood. Similarly, healthcare and nursing care faced a shortage of 13,390 positions compared to 4,549 unemployed assistants. As Kofa noted, specialist roles in both elderly care and health/nursing care are regulated, requiring the attainment of a formal professional degree.
The study also identified currently employed assistants as a crucial potential group. By qualifying existing staff, these shortages can be lessened. Specifically, if 4.9 percent of all employed assistants in elderly care and 6.6 percent of those in health/nursing care were to qualify, the study reveals that all identified bottlenecks in those respective specialist fields could be eliminated.
